Concluded on 7 October, the agreement paves the way for the establishment of lasting cooperation between the Diplomatic Academy of the Polish MFA and the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs as regards professional qualifications and continuous training for members of the two countries’ foreign services, as well as jointly organised courses, seminars, and study visits for diplomats.

The signing of the cooperation agreement provided the head of the Polish foreign service an opportunity to hold consultations with his Icelandic counterpart on the challenges diplomatic services in democratic countries are currently facing. The officials also exchanged views on, among other things, modernisation of the foreign ministries, recruiting the best candidates for the foreign service, and the evolution of training and staff evaluation processes. Talking to Permanent Secretary of State at the Icelandic MFA Martin Eyjólfsson, the head of the Polish foreign service stressed that the Russian aggression against Ukraine shows that diplomacy is more important than ever, and that we need active and efficient diplomatic services which will work towards reaching a comprehensive political agreement based on the rules of international law and with due regard for internationally recognised state borders.

Head of the Polish Foreign Service Arkady Rzegocki also met with Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Althingi Bjarni Jónsson and MP Birgir Þórarinsson to discuss the importance of the parliamentary dimension of foreign policy.

In the context of challenges that the international community is currently facing, an important element of the visit to Iceland was the lecture the head of the Polish foreign service gave at the University of Iceland. During the lecture, titled “Priorities of Poland’s foreign service in the context of current international challenges”, the Polish diplomat presented the assembled students and guests with the priorities of Poland’s foreign service. The head of the foreign service was introduced by the Rector of the university, Professor Jón Atli Benediktsson.

Moreover, the visit to Iceland was an opportunity for the head of the foreign service to meet with representatives of the Polish community on the island: nuns from the Convent of the Missionary Sisters of Christ the King for Polish Emigrants, Discalced Carmelite nuns, Polish musicians from the Iceland Symphony Opera, and representatives of the Association of Polish Engineers in Iceland. While in Reykjavík, the head of the Polish foreign service visited a nearby cemetery to pay tribute to sailors of the Polish freight ship SS Wigry that sank off the Icelandic coast in 1942.

 

Łukasz Jasina

MFA Spokesperson